Acts 16:6

Acts 16:6-8 . Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia — Greek, διελθοντες δε την Φρυγιαν , και την Γαλατικην χωραν , having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, and spoken there what was sufficient, and delivered to the churches in those parts the decrees above mentioned, in order to their establishment in the true faith of the gospel; and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost (probably by an inward dictate) to preach the word in Asia — That is, in the proconsular Asia: for, “as all the places mentioned in the former verses lay in Asia Minor, it is evident that the word Asia must be thus understood. The reason for this prohibition seems to have been, that the time for preaching in that province was not yet come. But it is certain that flourishing churches were afterward planted there, particularly at Colosse, Laodicea, Sardis, Thyatira, and Philadelphia.

It seems therefore to have been the determination of Providence, respecting Paul and his companions, that, instead of going through this region now, by such a leisurely progress as that in which they proceeded in their former journey, through Pamphylia, Pisidia, Lycaonia, &c., they should hasten to Europe directly, and preach the gospel first in Philippi, which was a Roman colony, and then in the neighbouring parts; while, in the mean time, the Asian provinces, now passed over, might hear some report of it from their neighbours and so be prepared to receive, with greater advantage, the labours of the apostles, when they should return to them, as Paul afterward did, chap. Acts 18:23 , &c. By this means the spread of the gospel would, in any given time, be wider than (other circumstances being equal) it would have been, had they taken all the interjacent places in their way.” — Doddridge. After they were come into Mysia — Which was the most western province of the Lesser Asia, and lay on the coast of the Ægean sea; they assayed to go northward into Bithynia — A country bounded on the west by a part of the Propontis and the Thracian Bosphorus, and on the north by the Euxine sea. Probably their intention was to visit the flourishing cities of Nice, Nicomedia, and Chalcedon, and so pass from thence into Europe. But the Spirit suffered them not — Forbidding them as before. Many manuscripts and versions of undoubted authority read here, The Spirit of Jesus.

Phrygia and Galatia were parts of Asia Minor. They were forbidden of the Holy Ghost by some revelation, though the manner is not known, to preach the word in Asia, for that time; though afterwards Paul preached there about two years together, Acts 19:10 . Thus God (the great Householder) orders the candle to be removed from one room unto another; sends, or takes away, the light of the gospel, to whom, and as often, as he pleaseth. Our calling, as well as our election, is free; and we may say with our Saviour, Matthew 11:26 , Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Acts 16:6 . Διελθόντες ) when they had travelled through , the Spirit not forbidding them: for the Galatian region was not a part of the Asia that is here named. Phrygia was a part of Asia, and in it already they had spoken all that was necessary.— κωλυθέντες , having been forbidden ) by some internal dictation (suggestion). Often the reluctance of the mind, the cause of which the ungodly cannot see, is not to be despised. Again, as to the impulse to any course of action, see ch. Acts 18:5 , Acts 17:16 .— λαλῆσαι , to speak ) Not yet was it the ripe time: they were now appointed to make Macedonia their destination: other preachers might come to the people of Asia; nay, even Lydia was one belonging to Asia, Acts 16:14 . And afterwards it was done most abundantly: ch. Acts 19:10 .

{4} Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were {d} forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, (4) God appoints certain and determinate times to open and set forth his truth, so that both the election and the calling may proceed of grace. (d) He does not show why they were forbidden, but only that they were forbidden, teaching us to obey and not to enquire.

Ac 16:6-12. They Break New Ground in Phrygia and Galatia—Their Course in That Direction Being Mysteriously Hedged Up, They Travel Westward to Troas, Where They Are Divinely Directed to Macedonia—The Historian Himself Here Joining the Missionary Party, They Embark for Neapolis, and Reach Philippi. 6-8. Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia—proceeding in a northwesterly direction. At this time must have been formed "the churches of Galatia" (Ga 1:2; 1Co 16:1); founded, as we learn from the Epistle to the Galatians (particularly Ga 4:19), by the apostle Paul, and which were already in existence when he was on his third missionary journey, as we learn from Ac 18:23, where it appears that he was no less successful in Phrygia.

Why these proceedings, so interesting as we should suppose, are not here detailed, it is not easy to say; for the various reasons suggested are not very satisfactory: for example, that the historian had not joined the party [Alford]; that he was in haste to bring the apostle to Europe [Olshausen]; that the main stream of the Church's development was from Jerusalem to Rome, and the apostle's labors in Phrygia and Galatia lay quite out of the line of that direction [Baumgarten]. and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost—speaking by some prophet, see on [2033]Ac 11:27. to preach the word in Asia—not the great Asiatic continent, nor even the rich peninsula now called Asia Minor, but only so much of its western coast as constituted the Roman province of Asia.

Verse 6. - And they went for now when they had gone , A.V. and T.R.; through the region of Phrygia and Galatia for throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia , A.V. and T.R.; having been for and were , A.V.; speak for preach , A.V. The region of Phrygia and Galatia . But Phrygia is always a noun substantive, and cannot be here taken as an adjective belonging to χώρα : and we have in Acts 18:23 exactly the same collation as that of the A.V. here, only in an inverted order: Τὴν Γαλατικὴν χώραν καὶ Φρυγίας . Even if the τὴν is properly omitted, as in the R.T., before Γαλατικὴν , the passage must equally be construed as in the A.V. The Galatians were Celts, the descendants of those Gauls who invaded Asia in the third century B.C. This passage seems to show conclusively that Derbe and Lystra and Iconium were not comprehended by St. Paul under Galatia, and were not the Churches to whom the Epistle to the Galatians was addressed; and forcibly suggest that the Galatian Churches were founded by St. Paul in the course of the visit here so briefly mentioned by St. Luke. Asia is here used in its restricted sense of that district on the western coast of Asia Minor, of which Ephesus was the capital. It is in this sense that it is used also in Acts 2:9 ; Acts 6:9 ; Acts 19:10 , etc.; Revelation 1:11 . St. Paul apparently wished to go to Ephesus. But the time was not yet come.

6 . Now when they had gone throughout ] The oldest MSS. merely say and they went through . Phrygia and the region of Galatia ] Scarcely the direction, so far as population was concerned, which would have been chosen by them of their own accord, but the inner admonition of the Holy Ghost kept them from entering Proconsular Asia. The news of the events at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost were known to some in Phrygia already ( Acts 2:10 ), but of Galatia the history has yet made no mention, though we know from St Paul’s Epistle to that church that he afterwards had the warmest interest in and greatest anxiety concerning the Christians there, among whom Judaizers wrought like mischief with that done in Antioch. From some expressions of St Paul ( Galatians 4:19 ) it seems likely that it was from his own preaching at this time that churches in Galatia were founded. and were forbidden ] Better, having been forbidden . As they had been forbidden the one route, they went by the other. Probably St Luke says little about the events in this part of the journey, for his language below ( Acts 16:10 ) seems to shew that he only joined St Paul at Troas. in Asia ] See note on Acts 2:9 .